Method and electronic circuit for efficient battery wake up charging

ABSTRACT

A method for efficiently charging a battery. The method includes producing a first signal having a voltage level dependent on the voltage of the battery, comparing the voltage level of the first signal with a settable voltage representative of a maximum battery charging current, and producing a second signal representative of a charging current to be provided to the battery, the second signal having a voltage level selected to be the lower voltage level between the first signal and the settable voltage.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 10/812,802, “POWER MANAGEMENT TOPOLOGIES,” filed on Mar. 30,2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,348,760, which itself is a continuation-in-partapplication of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/652,110 “POWERMANAGEMENT TOPOLOGIES,” filed on Aug. 29, 2003 now abandoned, theteaching of which is hereby incorporated in their entirety by reference.The U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/652,110 is acontinuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/364,228 filed Feb. 11, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,977,482 “SELECTORCIRCUIT FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN MULTIPLE BATTERY SYSTEMS” issued on Dec.20, 2005, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference,and claims the benefit of the filing date of the U.S. Provisional PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/484,635, filed on Jul. 3, 2003, the teachings ofwhich are also incorporated herein by reference. The U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/652,110 is also a continuation-in-part of theU.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/960,453 filed on Sep. 21, 2001, nowU.S. Pat. No. 6,741,066 “POWER MANAGEMENT FOR BATTERY POWEREDAPPLIANCES” issued on May 25, 2004, the teachings of which areincorporated herein by reference, and claims the benefit of the filingdate of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/234,442, filedSep. 21, 2000, the teachings of which are also incorporated herein byreference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to power management topology, and morespecifically to battery charge controllers.

2. Description of the Related Art

Various portable electronic devices have a power supply system thatmonitors, controls, and directs power from various power sources tosupply power to the system load of the electronic device. These powersources generally include a fixed output ACDC adapter and one or morerechargeable batteries. The power supply system contains a powerconversion block, e.g., a DC to DC converter to convert a fixed DCvoltage supplied by the ACDC adapter to a finely controlled variableoutput DC voltage to charge the battery.

The power supply system operates to supply power to the system fromeither the ACDC adapter or from the host battery and to perform batterycharging if proper conditions are met. As such, there is typically anACDC source switch for selectively coupling the ACDC adapter to thesystem, a Battery switch for selectively coupling the host battery tothe system, and a charging switch that may connect the host battery toan output of the DC to DC converter for charging. When power is suppliedto the system from the ACDC adapter, the ACDC source switch is closed,the Battery switch is open, and the charging switch may either be openor closed. In contrast, when power is supplied to the system from thebattery, the Battery switch is closed, and the ACDC source switch andthe charging switch are open.

In order to be able to charge the battery up to its maximum operatingvoltage, the output voltage of the ACDC adapter is chosen to be higher(usually at least 1 to 2 V higher) than the maximum operating voltage ofthe battery. Since the output voltage of the ACDC adapter has a fixedvalue while the output voltage of the battery may vary largely(depending on its charged state) the ACDC adapter and the battery cannot be coupled in parallel to supply power to the system load at certaintimes. This difference in voltage would lead to undesirableinter-current flow from the higher voltage source (ACDC adapter) to thelower voltage source (battery). As a result, in order to account fortransient high power needs of the system, the ACDC adapter is typicallyoversized, significantly increasing the cost of the power supply system.

In addition, since the ACDC adapter's output voltage is fixed, itsoutput voltage cannot be used to charge the battery which entails finecharging voltage and current control. As such, a second power conversionstep accomplished by the DC to DC converter is compulsory. This secondpower conversion step causes further cost increase and diminishes theoverall efficiency of the power supply system.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for power management topologiesthat enables only one power conversion to provide a controllable DCoutput to the system load and the battery, or enables a controllable DCpower source and battery to be coupled in parallel to supply the systemload, or has both features.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention advantageously provides a method and a circuit forefficient battery charging. As a result, the goal of reducing batterycharging time and cost saving can be achieved.

There is provided a method for charging a battery. The method includesthe steps of producing a first signal having a voltage level dependenton the voltage of the battery, comparing the voltage level of the firstsignal with a settable voltage representative of a maximum batterycharging current, and producing a second signal representative of acharging current to be provided to the battery. The second signal has avoltage level selected to be the lower voltage level between the firstsignal and the settable voltage.

There is provided a variable wake up level circuit for providing a wakeup signal representative of a charging current to be delivered to abattery. The variable wake up level circuit includes a signal processingcircuit, and a comparison circuit. The signal processing circuit may bea summing-type circuit receiving a first settable voltage representativeof a minimum wake up current and a third signal representative of abattery voltage. The signal processing circuit is adapted to produce afirst output signal with a voltage level dependent on the voltage levelsof the first settable voltage and the third signal. The comparisoncircuit is adapted to receive the first output signal and a secondsettable voltage representative of a maximum allowable wake up currentand to produce the wake up signal. The wake up signal has a voltage witha lower voltage level selected between the first output signal and thesecond settable voltage.

There is also provided a variable wake up current circuit for at leastsetting and controlling a wake up current delivered to a battery via acurrent flow controlling device connected in series in the batterycharging path. The variable wake up current circuit includes a variablewake up level circuit, an error amplifier, and a driving circuit. Thevariable wake up level circuit is responsive to a first signalrepresentative of the instantaneous voltage of the battery, a firstsettable voltage representative of a minimum wake up current of thebattery and a second settable voltage representative of a maximumallowable wake up current of the battery. The variable wake up levelcircuit is further capable of generating a wake up signal representativeof the wake up current for charging the battery. The wake up signal hasa voltage level dependent at least on the voltage levels of the firstsettable voltage and the first signal. The error amplifier receives thewake up signal and a battery current sense signal representative of aninstantaneous charging current of the battery flowing through thecurrent flow controlling device. The error amplifier generates an errorsignal in response to the difference between the levels of the wake upsignal and the battery current sense signal. The driving circuit isadapted to output a device driving signal in response to at least theerror signal. The device driving signal is capable of commanding thecurrent flow controlling device to maintain the instantaneous chargingcurrent at a level based on the wake up signal.

There is also provided a battery charging apparatus. The batterycharging apparatus includes a current path toward a rechargeablebattery, a current flow controlling device coupled in series with thecurrent path, and a variable wake up current circuit. The currentflowing controlling device is adapted to control a charging currentdelivered to the battery. The variable wake up current circuit being isto provide a device driving signal to the current flow controllingdevice in response to at least a first signal representative of aninstantaneous voltage of the battery, a first settable voltagerepresentative of a minimum value of a wake up charging current of thebattery, a second settable voltage representative of a maximum allowablewake up charging current of the battery, and a battery current sensesignal representative of the instantaneous charging current of thebattery. The current flow controlling device is adapted to receive thedevice driving signal on a command terminal and to maintain the chargingcurrent at a level dependent on the voltage level of the device drivingsignal.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the followingdetailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof, which descriptionshould be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a high-level block diagram of an electronic device having apower supply topology including a controllable DC power source and apower management control circuit consistent with the invention;

FIG. 2 is a high-level block diagram of one embodiment of a power supplytopology of an electronic device consistent with FIG. 1 where thecontrollable DC power source is a controllable adapter;

FIG. 3 is a high-level block diagram of another embodiment of a powersupply topology of an electronic device consistent with FIG. 1 where thecontrollable DC power source is a DC to DC converter that may acceptpower from a fixed output adapter;

FIG. 4 is a more detailed block diagram of one embodiment of the powersupply topology of FIG. 2 where the controllable DC power source is acontrollable adapter, the battery source includes a plurality ofbatteries, and the power supply system includes an adapter senseresistor, a system sense resistor, and a sense resistor for eachbattery;

FIG. 5 is a more detailed block diagram of another embodiment of thepower supply topology of FIG. 2 where the controllable DC power sourceis a controllable adapter, the battery source includes a plurality ofbatteries, and the power supply system includes an adapter senseresistor and a sense resistor for each battery;

FIG. 6 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment of thepower supply topology of FIG. 2 where the controllable DC power sourceis a controllable adapter, the battery source includes a plurality ofbatteries, and the power supply system includes a system sense resistorand a sense resistor for each battery;

FIG. 7 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment of thepower supply topology of FIG. 2 where the controllable DC power sourceis a controllable adapter, the battery source includes a plurality ofbatteries, and the power supply system includes an adapter senseresistor and one battery sense resistor for the battery source;

FIG. 8 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment of thepower supply topology of FIG. 2 where the controllable DC power sourceis a controllable adapter, the battery source includes a plurality ofbatteries, and the power supply system includes a system sense resistorat the output of the DC to DC converter, and one battery sense resistorfor a plurality of batteries;

FIG. 9 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment of thepower supply topology of FIG. 3 where the controllable DC power sourceis a DC to DC converter, the battery source includes a plurality ofbatteries, and the power supply system includes a DC to DC convertersense resistor at the output of the DC to DC converter, a system senseresistor, and one battery sense resistor for each battery;

FIG. 10 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment ofthe power supply topology of FIG. 3 where the controllable DC powersource is a DC to DC converter, the battery source includes a pluralityof batteries, and the power supply system includes a DC to DC convertersense resistor at the output of the DC to DC converter and a senseresistor for each battery;

FIG. 11 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment ofthe power supply topology of FIG. 3 where the controllable DC powersource is a DC to DC converter, the battery source includes a pluralityof batteries, and the power supply system includes an system senseresistor and a sense resistor for each battery;

FIG. 12 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment ofthe power supply topology of FIG. 3 where the controllable DC powersource is a DC to DC converter, the battery source includes a pluralityof batteries, and the power supply system includes an adapter senseresistor and one battery sense resistor for the battery source;

FIG. 13 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment ofthe power supply topology of FIG. 3 where the controllable DC powersource is a DC to DC converter, the battery source includes a pluralityof batteries, and the power supply system includes a system senseresistor and one battery sense resistor for the battery source;

FIG. 14 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment ofthe power supply topology of FIG. 3 where the controllable DC powersource is a DC to DC converter, the battery source includes a pluralityof batteries, and the power supply system includes a DC to DC convertersense resistor at the output of the DC to DC converter and one batterysense resistor for the battery source;

FIG. 15 is a more detailed block diagram of yet another embodiment ofthe power supply topology of FIG. 3 where the controllable DC powersource is a DC to DC converter, the battery source includes a pluralityof batteries, and the power supply system includes an adapter senseresistor at the output of the fixed adapter and a sense resistor foreach battery;

FIG. 16 is a block diagram of another embodiment of an electronic devicehaving a wake up circuit to control charging current to a deeplydischarged battery; and

FIG. 17 is a more detailed block diagram of the power management andwake up circuit of FIG. 16.

FIG. 18A is a simplified model for calculating the power dissipation Pwkon the switch SW2A1 receiving a constant current Iwko during wake upcharge process;

FIG. 18B is a plot illustrating the power dissipation Pwk on the switchSW2A1 versus the battery voltage Vbatt where the switch SW2A1 receives aconstant current Iwko during wake up charge process;

FIG. 19A is a plot illustrating a variable wake up current Iwk versusVbatt; and

FIG. 19B is a Pwk versus Vbatt plot wherein a variable wake up currentIwk is provided;

FIG. 20 illustrate an exemplary embodiment of a circuit that provides avariable wake up current; and

FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of power management topologysimilar to the one in FIG. 17 in which the circuit in FIG. 20 isinserted.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified block diagram of an electronic device100 having a system load 110 capable of being powered by a controllableDC power source 104, a battery 105, or by both in parallel as the needarises as further detailed herein. A table 180 showing the position ofswitches SW1 and SW2 in various power supply modes is also illustrated.In one embodiment, the controllable DC power source 104 may be acontrollable adapter as further detailed herein, e.g., an ACDC adapter,that provides the only power conversion necessary to deliver power tothe system load 110 and the battery 105. As such, the need for anadditional power conversion step (e.g., a DC to DC converter to providea finely controlled output to the battery for charging) typicallyutilized in other power supply systems is obviated in this instance.

The electronic device 100 may be any variety of devices known in the artsuch as a laptop computer, cell phone, personal digital assistant, powertool, electric powered vehicle, etc. The controllable DC power source104 provides a dynamically controllable DC output such as may beavailable from a controllable adapter or a DC to DC converter as furtherdetailed herein with reference to various embodiments. The controllableDC power source 104 may be separate from or integral with the electronicdevice 100. The battery 105 may include one battery or a plurality ofbatteries. A battery may be a rechargeable battery of various types suchas lithium-ion, nickel-cadmium, nickel-metal hydride batteries, or thelike.

The controllable DC power source 104 may be selectively coupled to anode 116 via switch SW1 and path 114. The battery 105 may be selectivelycoupled to the node 116 via switch SW2 and path 118. The system load 110may be further coupled to the node 116 via path 121.

In general, a power management control circuit 130 consistent with theinvention monitors, controls, and directs power from each power source104, 105 to the system load 110 and each other (e.g., battery charging)under various conditions. The power management control circuit 130 mayreceive a variety of input signals along path 141. Such input signalsmay detail various load conditions, supply conditions, and/or commandsignals. The supply condition of the battery 105 may be a powercondition such as an output voltage level or an output current level ofthe battery 105. Similarly, the supply condition of the controllable DCpower source 104 may be a power condition such as an output voltagelevel or an output current level of the source 104. The load conditionof the system load 110 may be a power condition such as a requiredvoltage level or required current level of the system load at anyparticular instant. Those skilled in the art will recognize a variety ofways to provide such input signals to the power management controlcircuit 130. For instance, a current sense resistor may be provided inseries with respective power paths 114, 118, 121 to provide a signalrepresentative of a current level along each respective path.

In general, the power management control circuit 130 may dynamicallyadjust an output parameter, e.g., an output voltage level, of thecontrollable DC power source 104 via an output control signal along path133 and may select among a plurality of power supply modes bycontrolling the state of switches SW1 and SW2 via an output controlsignal along path 20.

Advantageously, in one embodiment, the power management control circuit130 may select a power supply mode 185 as detailed in table 180 thatenables both the controllable DC power source 104 and the battery 105 tobe coupled in parallel to provide power to the system load 110. Theproblem in coupling the controllable DC power source 104 and the battery105 in parallel is that a difference in voltage level between the twoleads to an undesirable inter-current flow from the higher voltagesource to the lower voltage source.

This undesirable inter-current flow can be prevented by unidirectionaland selectively unidirectional switches to allow current flow in onedirection but prevent it in another direction. For instance, switch SW2may be a selectively unidirectional switch and switch SW1 may be aunidirectional switch as further detailed herein and indicated by thearrows in table 180 of permitted current flow in the buffer batterysupply mode 185. In addition, switch SW2 may include a bidirectionaldischarge switch where undesirable inter-current flow between thecontrollable DC power source 104 and the battery 105 is controlled bymaintaining the voltage level of the controllable DC power source 104within a tolerance range of the voltage level of the battery 105 as thebattery voltage changes, e.g., depending on its charging status.

This parallel supply mode 185 may be selected if instructed by a commandsignal received via path 141. This supply mode 185 may also be selectedin response to a power crises condition. Such a power crises conditionmay occur when the system load 110 has a load requirement in excess ofthe maximum power available from the controllable DC power source 104individually and in excess of the maximum power available from thebattery 105 individually. Together however, the power sources may beable to provide enough power to satisfy the load requirement of thesystem load 110 for the necessary duration. Therefore, the controllableDC power source 104 may not need to be oversized to account for thissituation.

In such a parallel power source supply mode 185, the power managementcontrol circuit 130 advantageously prevents cross conduction between thecontrollable DC power source 104 and the battery source 105 bycontrolling the states of switches SW1 and SW2. Switch SW2 may be aselectively unidirectional switch and switch SW1 may be a unidirectionalswitch. That is, switch SW2 may allow current flow in one direction onlywhen closed depending on the selected power supply mode or switch SW2may be open. Switch SW2 may be open when the system load 110 is beingpowered by the controllable DC power source 104 only (hence switch SW1is closed) and no charging is taking place (power supply mode 181).

Switch SW2 may have a first discharging closed position in which currentis generally only allowed to flow from the battery. For example, in thisfirst discharging closed position current is allowed to flow from thebattery 105 to the system load 110 but current is prevented from flowingtowards the battery 105 from the controllable DC power source 104. Inaddition, switch SW2 may also have a second charging closed position inwhich current is only allowed to flow to the battery. For example, inthis second charging closed position current is only allowed to flow tothe battery 105 from the controllable DC power source 104 and preventedfrom flowing from the battery 105 to the system load 100. Switch SW1 maybe a unidirectional switch that when closed it only allows current flowfrom the controllable DC power source 104 to node 116.

Hence in a parallel power supply mode 185 where both the controllable DCpower source 104 and the battery 105 provide power to the system load110, switch SW2 may be closed in the first discharging position andswitch SW1 may be closed. Hence the battery 105 can supply current tothe system load 110 but undesirable inter-current flow from thecontrollable DC power source 104 to the battery 105 is prevented by theswitch SW2. In addition, undesirable inter-current flow from the battery105 to the DC power source 104 is prevented by unidirectional switchSW1.

Those skilled in the art will recognize a variety of ways a selectivelyunidirectional switch may be implemented. For instance, a pair ofswitches coupled in series with each other, and an associated pair ofdiodes in parallel with each switch, may be utilized. A particular diodemay block current flow in one direction while a closed switch may allowcurrent flow in both directions.

Advantageously, the power management control circuit 130 may selectanother power supply mode 181 or 183 where the controllable DC powersource 104 provides power to the system load 110. The battery 105 may becharged (supply mode 183 of table 180) or may not be charged (supplymode 181 of table 180) in such an instance. In these power supply modes,one of the input signals to the power management circuit 130 along path114 may be representative of a power requirement of the system load 110,e.g., a voltage requirement, a current requirement, etc. Advantageously,the power management control circuit 130 may be responsive to such asignal to adjust an output parameter, e.g., output voltage level, outputcurrent level, etc., of the controllable DC power source 104 to followthe requirement of the system load 110. In one instance, the powermanagement circuit 130 adjusts the output voltage level of thecontrollable DC power source 104 to be within a predetermined limit ofthe voltage requirement of the system load 110. As such, power lossesand dissipation are limited.

Turning to FIG. 2, the controllable DC power source 104 of FIG. 1 may bea controllable adapter 104 a. Advantageously in this instance there isonly one power conversion step (e.g., from the input voltage to thecontroller adapter to the controllable output DC voltage) necessary tosupply power to the system load 110 and to the battery 105 for charging.As such, the added power conversion step (e.g., from a DC to DCconverter to the battery for charging) is avoided improving powerefficiency. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the buffer battery supply modepreviously detailed may be (table 180) or may not be (table 190)available depending on the needs of the desired power supply system.

Other than the controllable adapter 104a other components of the powersupply system of FIG. 2 are similar to that of FIG. 1 and, as such, arelabeled similarly. Hence, any repetitive description of such componentsis omitted herein for clarity. The controllable adapter 104a may furtherbe a controllable ACDC adapter that receives conventional AC voltage andconverts it to a controllable DC voltage level in response to a controlsignal along path 133 from the power management control circuit 130. Theparameters of the controllable adapter 104 a that may be controlled bythe power management control circuit 130 include, but are not limitedto, output voltage, maximum output power, maximum output current,start-up time, start-up profile, etc. The output voltage of thecontroller adapter 104 a may be dynamically adjusted as controlled bythe power management control circuit 130.

Turning to FIG. 3, the controllable DC power source of FIG. 1 may be aDC to DC converter 104 b coupled to path 114. Also coupled to path 114is a switch SW1 and fixed adapter 302. Switch SW1 is illustrated ascoupled to path 114 between the DC to DC converter 104 b and the node116. Alternatively, switch SW1 may be coupled between the fixed adapter302 and the DC to DC converter 104 b along path 114 as is furtherdetailed in other embodiments of FIGS. 9 through 15.

In the embodiment of FIG. 3, two power conversions are made rather thanone power conversion as illustrated in FIG. 2. That is, the powerconversion of the fixed adapter 302 and the DC to DC converter 104 b.The embodiment of FIG. 3 still enables the power supply system to beoperated in a buffer battery supply mode 185, e.g., to have the battery105 and the controllable DC power source 104 b provide power to thesystem load 110 concurrently as previously detailed. Other than the DCto DC converter 104 b and fixed adapter 302, other components of thepower supply system of FIG. 3 are similar to that of FIG. 1 and, assuch, are labeled similarly. Hence, any repetitive description of suchcomponents is omitted herein for clarity.

The DC to DC converter 104 b may be any variety of converters controlledby any variety of control signals along path 303 from the powermanagement control circuit 130. In one embodiment, the DC to DCconverter 104 b may be a buck converter having a high side switch, a lowside switch, and an LC filter as is known in the art. The control signalfrom the power management circuit 130 may be a pulse width modulated(PWM) signal. The width of the PWM signal controls the duration of the“switch ON” state (high side switch ON and low side switch OFF) and“switch OFF” state (high side switch OFF and low side switch ON) andhence the output voltage and current level of the DC to DC converter 104b.

Turning to FIGS. 4 through 8, various embodiments of power supplysystems consistent with the invention are illustrated having acontrollable adapter 104 a as the controllable DC power source 104 andtwo batteries (Battery A and B). As such, the embodiments of FIGS. 4through 8 have one power conversion due to the controllable adapter 104a to supply power to the system load 110 and the battery 105. The onestep power conversion embodiments may be used independently of, ortogether with, the earlier detailed buffer battery power supply modeenabling both the battery and controllable DC power source to providepower to the system load 110.

In contrast, FIGS. 9 through 15 as further detailed herein are directedto additional embodiments having a controllable DC to DC converter 104 bas the controllable DC power source 104 and also having two batteries(Batteries A and B). The embodiments of FIGS. 9 through 15 thereforehave at least two power conversions due to a fixed adapter 302 and theDC to DC converter 104 b.

The embodiment of FIG. 4 may have all the functionality earlier detailedregarding FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. However, the embodiment of FIG. 4 may ormay not have the earlier detailed buffer battery power supply modeenabling both the battery and controllable DC power source to providepower in parallel to the system load 110. For instance, a particularpower supply system may only desire the one step power conversion andnot be concerned with the buffer battery power supply mode.

Some components of FIG. 4 are similar to those components of FIG. 2 and,as such, are labeled similarly. Hence, any repetitive description of thefunctionality and the repetitive components is omitted herein forclarity. In general, any one or combination of the controllable ACDCadapter 104 a, Battery A, or Battery B may power the system load 110 atany one time as controlled by the power management control circuit 130.The system load 110 receives power via path 121 as seen at node 116. Thecontrollable adapter 104 a may be selectively coupled to node 116 viaswitch SW1 and path 114. Battery A may be selectively coupled to node116 via switch SW2A and path 118 a. Similarly, Battery B may beselectively coupled to node 116 via switch SW2B and path 118 b. SwitchSW1 may be a stand-alone external switch. Switch SW1 may also be aunidirectional switch as earlier detailed. Switches SW2A and SW2B couldbe stand-alone switches or embedded in battery packs 10 a and 11 arespectively, e.g., extended battery life approach. Using the powerswitches embedded in the battery pack would reduce the number of powerswitches and associated power dissipation. Switches SW2A and SW2B mayalso be selectively unidirectional switches as earlier detailed.

As earlier alluded, the power management control circuit 130 may receivea variety of input signals along a variety of paths. In the embodimentof FIG. 4, an adapter sense resistor 4, a system sense resistor 3, aBattery A sense resistor 7, and a Battery B sense resistor 5 provideinput signals representative of the current level along the respectivepower paths to the power management control circuit 130. For instance,the adapter sense resistor 4 provides a data signal representative ofcurrent flow along path 114 from the controllable adapter 104 a. Thesystem sense resistor 3 provides a data signal representative of currentflow along path 121 to the system load 110 from any combination of powersources. The Battery A sense resistor 7 provides a data signalrepresentative of current flow along path 118 a from or to Battery A.Finally, the Battery B sense resistor 5 provides a data signalrepresentative of current flow along path 118 b from or to Battery B.

In addition, input signals representative of the voltage level ofBattery A (VFB_A), Battery B (VFB_B), and the system load (VFB_SYS) mayalso be input to the power management control circuit 130. Furthermore,input signals, e.g., command and data signals may also be input to thepower management circuit 130 from a host power management unit (PMU) 12via host bus 22. The PMU 12 is configured to run various powermanagement routines as is known in the art. Such input signals from thePMU 12 may include, but are not limited to, charging current, chargingvoltage, adapter controlled preset voltage, adapter power limit, adaptercurrent limit, adapter presence, battery presence, a number of alarmsignals such as over-voltage, over-temperature, over current charge oradapter, over-power for the adapter 104 a or the system 110. The hostbus 22 may have any number of wires and carry any combination of analogand digital command signals. For example, the host bus 22 may be a SMBusif the PMU 12 is configured to run a SMBus protocol routine. The PMU 12may be a separate component or it may be embedded in a more complexprocessor of the electronic device 100.

In addition, a battery bus 24 for Batteries A and B may provideadditional information to the power management control circuit 130. Suchinformation provided via such bus 24 may be representative of variousparameters such as, but not limited to, charging current, chargingvoltage, battery presence, a number of alarm signals such asover-voltage, over-temperature, or over current.

Turning to the power management control circuit 130, it may include ahost interface 13, a plurality of current sense amplifiers 14, 15, 17,18, associated control and data paths, and a decision circuit 16. Thedecision circuit 16 may further include a selector circuit 409 toprovide a first set of output signals via bus 20 to control the state ofswitches SW1, SW2A, and SW2B. The decision circuit 16 may also include acontrol circuit 411 to provide a second set of output signals via path133 to control an output parameter of the controllable adapter 104 a.

The host interface 13 is a generic interface configured to accept aninput set of signals from the PMU 12 and to output a converted set ofsignals to the decision circuit 16 via internal signal bus 23. Suchsignals provided to the decision circuit 16 may contain voltage andcurrent limits for Battery A, Battery B, the controllable adapter 104 a,and the system load 110. The host interface 13 may accept analog ordigital signals from the PMU 12.

If the PMU 12 provides digital signals, the host interface may be anyvariety of digital interfaces such as a SMBus or I2C interface. In thisinstance, a multiplexer (MUX) and digital to analog converter (DAC) mayalso be provided in the interface 13 to convert digital to analogsignals and to provide the appropriate number of analog signals to thedecision circuit 16. The MUX may have any number channels depending, inpart, on the number of signals provided to the decision circuit 16.

The plurality of current sense amplifier 14, 15, 17, 18 amplifiessignals from the respective sense resistors 3, 4, 5, 7 since the senseresistor is typically quite small. For instance, sense amplifier 14amplifies the voltage drop across the system sense resistor 3 andprovides an ISYS signal representative of the current flow along path121. Sense amplifier 15 amplifies the voltage drop across the adaptersense resistor 4 and provides an IAD signal representative of thecurrent flow along path 114. Sense amplifier 17 amplifies the voltagedrop across the Battery B sense resistor 5 and provides an ICDB signalrepresentative of current flow along path 118 b. Finally, senseamplifier 18 amplifies the voltage drop across the Battery A senseresistor 7 and provides an ICDA signal representative of current flowalong path 118 a.

The ISYS, IAD, ICDB, and ICDA signals from the respective senseamplifiers 14, 15, 17, 18 may then be provided to the decision circuit16, and in particular, to the control circuit 411 portion of thedecision circuit 16. In addition, the VFB_SYS signal representative ofthe voltage level of the system load 110, the VFB_B signalrepresentative of the voltage level of Battery B, and the VFB_A signalrepresentative of the voltage level of Battery A may also be provided tothe decision circuit 16, and in particular, to the control circuit 411portion of the decision circuit 16.

The control circuit 411 accepts these input signals ISYS, IAD, ICDB,ICDA, VFB_SYS, VFB_B, and VFB_A and compares such signals to variousthreshold levels, e.g., as provided by the PMU 12. Based on suchcomparisons, the control circuit 411 provides the first set of outputsignals to control an output parameter, e.g., an output voltage level,of the adapter 104 a via the adapter control bus 133.

The first set of output signals controls one or more output parametersof the controllable adapter 104 a so that the power supply systemperforms a variety of tasks including those earlier detailed regardingFIGS. 1 and 2. In addition, such tasks may also include at least one of,but not limited to, the following:

1. providing all the necessary adapter current up to a maximum outputcurrent level of the adapter or up to the power supply limits of thesystem load 110, and if requested to provide charging current to chargethe battery source 105;

2. Limiting the total charging current delivered to the battery 105during a charging mode to the difference between the maximum outputcurrent level of the adapter 104 a and the required current of thesystem load 110;

3. providing the maximum charging current to each battery (Battery A andB) as long as the maximum charging voltage level has not been reachedfor any of the batteries;

4. providing up to the maximum charging current to the lowest voltagebattery as long as the maximum charging voltage has not been reached forany of the batteries; and

5. providing a set maximum supply voltage to the system load 110 when nobattery is present or no charge request is received.

Those skilled in the art will recognize various ways that suchfunctionality of the control circuit 411 portion of the decision circuit16 may be accomplished through hardware only, software only, or somecombination thereof. For instance, with hardware the control circuit 411may include a plurality of error amplifiers to compare signals ISYS,IAD, ICDB, ICDA, VFB_SYS, VFB_B, and VFB_A with an associated maximumthreshold level for each monitored parameter. The plurality of erroramplifiers may be configured as an analog “wired-OR” topology such thatthe error amplifier that first detects a condition exceeding theassociated maximum level controls the command signal to the controllableadapter 104 a. An appropriate output signal may then be sent to thecontrollable adapter 104 a, e.g., to lessen an output power parameter ofthe adapter 104 a if a maximum threshold limit is reached.

The second set of output signals provided by the decision circuit 16 viathe selector output bus 20 controls the state of switches SW1, SW2A, andSW2B to enable the power supply system to have various power supplymodes. Such second set of output signals may be provided by the selectorcircuit 409 of the decision circuit 16. As a result, various power pathsconnecting the power sources (adapter 104 a, Battery A, and Battery B)to the system load 110 and to each other (e.g., during charging) occurdepending on actual supply conditions, events, and requests from the PMU12. A variety of hardware and/or software may be utilized to process thevariety of input signals to the selector circuit 409 portion of thedecision circuit 16 according to a particular processing algorithm. Thealgorithm should be able to determine the appropriate driving signals todrives switches SW1, SW2A, and SW2B ON and OFF in order to accomplish avariety of tasks including at least one of, but not limited to, thefollowing tasks:

1. ensuring an uninterrupted power supply to the system load 110 as longas at least one power source (ACDC adapter 104 a, Battery A, Battery B)is present;

2. connecting the appropriate battery or batteries to a charging path asrequested by the PMU 12;

3. connecting the appropriate battery or batteries to a discharging pathto supply power to the system load 110 as requested by the PMU 12;

4. voiding cross conduction between batteries when a number of batteriesare coupled in parallel and between the ACDC adapter and the batteriesin parallel supply mode;

5. independently solving any power crises event such as power sourceconnection/disconnection, short circuits, and the like; and

6. independently and safely managing the power supply system when thehost PMU 12 fails to send the appropriate control signal.

To accomplish such tasks, especially such tasks dependent on use of twoor more batteries (e.g., to avoid cross conduction between batteries),reference should be made to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/364,228filed Feb. 11, 2003, the teachings of which are incorporated herein byreference, which discloses a selector circuit that may be utilized aspart of a power supply system consistent with the invention.

Turning to FIGS. 5-8, various additional embodiments of power supplysystems consistent with the invention of FIGS. 1 and 2 are illustratedhaving a controllable adapter 104 a and two batteries (Battery A and B).In general, the main difference between the embodiments of FIGS. 5-8 andthat earlier detailed regarding FIG. 4 is in the number of senseresistors utilized along various power paths. Otherwise, thefunctionality of the embodiments is similar to that earlier describedwith reference to FIG. 4 except that the decision circuit may notreceive as many input current signals if less sense resistors areutilized. The embodiment of FIG. 5 has an adapter sense resistor 4, aBattery A sense resistor 7, and a Battery B sense resistor 5. Theembodiment of FIG. 6 has a system sense resistor 3, a Battery A senseresistor 7, and a Battery B sense resistor 5. The embodiment of FIG. 7has an adapter sense resistor 4, and one battery sense resistor 5sensing current flow along path 118. Finally, the embodiment of FIG. 8has a system sense resistor 3 and one battery sense resistor 5 sensingcurrent flow along path 118.

Turning to FIGS. 9-15, various additional embodiments of power supplysystems consistent with the invention of FIGS. 1 and 3 are illustratedhaving a DC to DC converter 104 b as the controllable DC power source104, a fixed adapter 302, and two batteries (Battery A and B) as thebattery source 105. In general, the main difference between theembodiments of FIGS. 9-15 and that earlier detailed regarding FIGS. 1and 3 is in the number and position of sense resistors utilized alongvarious power paths.

The embodiment of FIG. 9 has a DC to DC converter sense resistor 4, asystem sense resistor 3, a Battery A sense resistor 7, and a Battery Bsense resistor 5. The embodiment of FIG. 10 has a DC to DC convertersense resistor 4, a Battery A sense resistor 7, and a Battery B senseresistor 5. The embodiment of FIG. 11 has a system sense resistor 3, aBattery A sense resistor 7, and a Battery B sense resistor 5. Theembodiment of FIG. 12 has an adapter sense resistor 4 and one batterysense resistor 5 sensing current flow along path 118. The embodiment ofFIG. 13 has one system sense resistor 3 and one battery sense resistor 5sensing current flow along path 118. The embodiment of FIG. 14 has oneDC to DC converter sense resistor 3 coupled in series along an outputpath of the DC to DC converter 104 b, and one battery sense resistor 5.Finally, the embodiment of FIG. 15 has one adapter sense resistor 4coupled to an output of the fixed adapter 302 and at an input to the DCto DC converter 104 b, a Battery A sense resistor 7, and a Battery Bsense resistor 5.

In certain instances, one or more batteries may be deeply discharged.That is, the output voltage level of the deeply discharged battery maybe less than the minimum voltage level necessary for proper operation ofthe battery and/or the system. When charging such a deeply dischargedbattery, a wake up battery charging current level may be provided to thebattery. This wake up battery charging current level is typicallyrelatively small compared to the normal charging current, e.g., about10% of normal charging current level in one instance. A wake up batterycharging voltage level may also be relatively small compared to thenormal charging voltage level. When the output voltage level of thebattery rises above a wakeup threshold level, normal charging currentand voltage levels may then be delivered. Otherwise, degradation of thebattery may result if a normal charging current is provided to a deeplydischarged battery.

In some battery supply topologies, the battery and the system load maybe supplied by different power sources thus enabling one power source,e.g., a DC to DC converter, to provide a deeply discharged battery witha reduced charging current and voltage level while enabling the otherpower source, e.g., an ACDC adapter, to supply relatively higher currentand voltage levels to the system load. In a battery supply topologyconsistent with the embodiment of FIG. 1 having one power source (e.g.,controllable DC power source 104) that may provide power to both thesystem load 110 and to the battery 105 for charging (as in supply mode183 of table 180), it would be advantageous to have an alternativemethod for providing a wake up charging current to the battery 105 whilesupplying the system load 110 with voltage levels as necessary.

Turning to FIG. 16, another embodiment of an electronic device 1600having a controllable DC power source 104 and Battery A that may,individually or together, provide power to the system load 110 isillustrated. FIG. 16 has similar components to earlier detailedcomponents of FIG. 1 that are labeled similarly and hence any repetitivedescription of such components is omitted herein for clarity. Forclarity only one battery, Battery A and its associated selectivelyunidirectional switch SW2A is illustrated in the embodiment of FIG. 16.Of course, additional batteries and additional associated selectivelyunidirectional switches in parallel with Battery A may also be utilized.

In the embodiment of FIG. 16, the selectively unidirectional switch SW2Afor Battery A may be implement utilizes switches SW2A1 and SW2A2 havingdiodes D1 and D2 in parallel with each respective switch. Eachindividual switch SW2A1 and SW2A2 when closed may be bidirectionalpermitting current flow in both directions. However, when one of theswitches SW2A1 and SW2A2 is open and the other is closed, the switchSW2A may function as a selectively unidirectional switch by allowingcurrent to flow in one direction but blocking it in the oppositedirection with the body diode, D1 or D2, in parallel with the openswitch.

For instance, as detailed in table 1680, during a charging supply mode183, switch SW2A1 may be ON and switch SW2A2 may be OFF. Therefore,charging current from the source 104 to Battery A is permitted to flowthrough closed switch SW2A1 and diode D2 in parallel with open switchSW2A2 to charge the battery. However, current flow in the reversedirection from Battery A to the system load 110 is prevented by diode D2in this charging supply mode 183.

Advantageously, the power management circuit 1630 may include a wake upcircuit 1608. The wake up circuit 1608 may be responsive to variousinput and/or command signals to provide a control signal to theselectively unidirectional switch SW2A along path 20. The control signalprovided by the wake up circuit 1608 may be representative of a wake upcharging condition or a normal charging condition. In response to a wakeup charging condition signal, the selectively unidirectional switch SW2Amay enable only a wake up charging current to flow towards Battery A. Inresponse to a normal charging condition signal, the selectivelyunidirectional switch SW2A may enable normal charging current to flowtowards Battery A.

Turning to FIG. 17, details of the power management control circuit 1630and the wake up circuit 1608 of FIG. 16 are illustrated. For clarity,only switch SW2A1 of the selectively unidirectional switch SW2A of FIG.16 is illustrated. The wake up circuit 1608 may include a comparisoncircuit 1718 and an output decision circuit 1612. The comparison circuit1718 may include an error amplifier 1610. The error amplifier 1610 mayreceive an ICDA signal at its inverting input terminal representative ofan instantaneous charging current level provided to Battery A when thesystem is in the charging supply mode 183 as detailed in table 1680. TheICDA signal may be provided by sense amplifier 17 via path 1706. Senseamplifier 17 may have its noninverting input coupled to terminal 1702and its inverting input coupled to terminal 1704. Conductors may becoupled across Battery A sense resistor 7 and coupled to terminals 1702,1704 to provide the input to the sense amplifier 17 representative ofthe charging current level provided to Battery A in a charging supplymode.

The error amplifier 1610 may also receive a signal at its noninvertinginput representative of a predetermined wake up current level. Thepredetermined wake up current level may be a fixed or programmablecurrent level to account for varying battery sizes, types, and chargingconditions. Such a signal representative of the wake up current levelmay be provided by a variety of sources including a host PMU 12 via thePMU host interface 13. The error amplifier 1610 then compares the signalrepresentative of the instantaneous charging current level with thesignal ICDA representative of the wake up current level and provides acomparison output signal to the output decision circuit 1612.

The output decision circuit 1612 of the wake up circuit 1608 receives avariety of input and/or command signals including the comparison outputsignal from the comparison circuit 1718 and a selector signal from aselector circuit 409 as provided via path 1714. The output decisioncircuit 1612 may provide either the comparison output signal or theselector signal to a control terminal of the switch SW2A1 to control aconduction state of the switch SW2A1. The output decision circuit 1612may comprise a variety of logic circuits known in the art to provide thedesired functionality.

When the output decision circuit 1612 provides the comparison outputsignal from the comparison circuit 1718 to the switch SW2A1, the switchSW2A1 is responsive to this signal to limit the charging current levelprovided to Battery A to the wake up current level. In one embodiment,the switch SW2A1 may provide a constant current flow to Battery A equalto the wake up charging current level. The comparison output signal maybe an analog signal and the switch SW2A1 may be responsive to thisanalog signal to enter an intermediate conduction state. As used herein,an “intermediate conduction state” means a state that at least somewhatlimits current flowing from one terminal to another terminal of theswitch. As such, the switch SW2A1 in an intermediate conduction statemay limit current provided to battery A to a wake up current level whenthe battery A is deeply discharged. In one instance, the switch SW2A1may behave like an error amplifier controlled resistor when it receivesthe comparison output signal from the comparison circuit 1718.

The switch SW2A1 may be any variety of transistors to receive anyvariety of analog signals. For instance, the switch may be a fieldeffect transistor as illustrated having a gate terminal to receive avoltage analog signal from the output decision circuit 1612. The valueof this voltage analog signal then controls the current flowing betweenthe other two terminals or the source and drain terminals in thisinstance. The switch 1612 may also be as bipolar junction transistorhaving a base terminal to receive a current analog signal from theoutput decision circuit 1612. The value of this current analog signalthen controls the current flowing between the other two terminals or thecollector and emitter terminals in this instance.

When the output decision circuit 1612 provides the selector outputsignal, the switch SW2A1 is responsive to this signal to be either ON orOFF. The signal provided by the selector circuit may be a digital signalsuch that if the digital signal is a digital one, switch SW2A1 may be ONand if the digital signal is a digital zero, switch SW2A1 may be OFF.When switch SW2A1 is ON in response to the selector output signal, theswitch SW2A1 may be in a full conduction state. As used herein, a “fullconduction state” means a state that does not appreciably limit currentflowing from one terminal to another terminal of the switch. Therefore,if switch SW2A1 is ON in response to the selector output signal, normalcharging current levels may then be provided to Battery A. Therefore,the comparison output signal, e.g., an analog signal in one embodiment,may be utilized to control switch SW2A1 when Battery A is deeplydischarged and hence charging current may be limited to a wake upcharging current level. In addition, the selector output signal, e.g., adigital signal in one embodiment, may be utilized to control switchSW2A1 and provide higher normal charging current levels to Battery A.

The output decision circuit 1612 may also accept additional input and/orcommand signals along bus 1614. Such signals may be provided by a hostof sources including the host PMU 12 via the host interface 13, thepower management control circuit 1630, or may also be set externallyfrom the power management control circuit 1630. One such signal receivedalong bus 1614 may be an enabling signal. If the enabling signal is in afirst state, e.g., a digital one, the output decision circuit 1612 maybe enabled to provide the comparison output signal from the comparisoncircuit 1718 to switch SW2A1. If the enabling signal is in a secondstate, e.g., a digital zero, the output decision circuit 1612 may thenprovide the selector output signal swA2 to the switch SW2A1.

Another signal that may be received by the output decision circuit 1612via bus 1614 is a battery voltage signal representative of a maximumcharging voltage during wake up charging. If this battery voltage signalindicates the voltage level of the battery during wake up chargingexceeds a threshold voltage level, then the output decision circuit 1612may stop wake up charging by providing the selector output signal toswitch SW2A1 rather than the comparison output signal.

Yet another signal that may be received by the output decision circuit1612 via bus 1614 is a maximum wake up charge time signal. If thissignal indicates that the battery has been provided a wake up chargingcurrent for more than a maximum time interval, then the output decisioncircuit 1612 may stop wake up charging by providing the selector outputsignal to switch SW2A1. Other signals may also be provided to the outputdecision circuit 1612 to provide additional functionality.

In one embodiment, there is thus provided a wake up circuit comprising acomparison circuit adapted to receive a first signal representative of acharging current level provided to a battery via a path and a secondsignal representative of a predetermined wake up current level and toprovide a comparison output signal in response to the first and secondsignal. The wake up circuit may also include an output decision circuitadapted to receive at least the comparison output signal and a selectorsignal from a selector circuit, the output decision circuit providingone of the comparison output signal and the selector signal to a switchto control a state of the switch, the switch coupled to the path.

In another embodiment, there is provided an apparatus comprising a wakeup circuit consistent with the above detailed embodiment.

In yet another embodiment, there is provided an apparatus comprising: afirst path configured to be coupled to a controllable DC power source; asecond path configured to be coupled to a battery; a third pathconfigured to be coupled to a system load, wherein the first, second,and third paths are coupled to a common node; a first switch coupled tothe first path to allow selective coupling of the controllable DC powersource to the system load via the common node; a second switch coupledto the second path to allow selective coupling of the battery to thecommon node; and a wake up circuit comprising a comparison circuit andan output decision circuit. The comparison circuit may be adapted toreceive a first signal representative of a charging current levelprovided to the battery via the second path and a second signalrepresentative of a predetermined wake up current level of the batteryand to provide a comparison output signal in response to the first andsecond signal, the output decision circuit adapted to receive at leastthe comparison output signal and a selector signal from a selectorcircuit, the output decision circuit providing one of the comparisonoutput signal and the selector signal to the second switch to control astate of the second switch.

The present invention further provides a new method for charging abattery with increased efficiency. Generally, a wake up circuit mayreceive (as shown for example in FIG. 17 referring to the wake upcircuit 1608) a ‘wake-up prog’ signal, representative of a wake upcurrent level. Conventionally, the wake up current delivered to thebattery has a constant value Iwko, as predetermined by the voltage levelof the ‘wk-up prog’ signal. Since the wake up charging process may bethe first part of the battery charging process, until the batteryvoltage rises above a preset voltage threshold, the total charging timedepends directly on the time required for the wake up charge process,i.e. the time period in which the voltage of a deeply discharged batteryincreases from an initial voltage Vbatto value to the wake up thresholdvoltage Vwkth. The voltage Vbatto of a deeply discharged battery mayhave virtually any value bellow Vwkth, and in the following, forsimplicity, its lowest possible level will be considered as 0 V.

Since the charging time is an important performance parameter of a powermanagement topology, the wake up charging time, as a component of thetotal battery charging time, has to be as short as possible.Accordingly, the wake up current level Iwko should be programmed at thehighest allowable level. The restrictions that limit the maximum valueof the wake up current may be imposed by various factors, but the mostimportant factors are:

-   -   a battery related restriction (that may be expressed herein by a        battery limited maximum wake up current Iwkmb) that takes into        account battery features such as chemistry, size etc. and may be        specified by the battery producer;    -   a power dissipation related restriction (that may be expressed        herein by a power dissipation limited maximum wake up current        Iwkmp) that takes into account the maximum power dissipation Pm        supported by a current flow controlling device (CFCD) driving        the charging current to the battery (for example the transistor        SW2A1 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG.17).

FIG. 18A illustrates a simplified model for calculating the powerdissipation Pwk on the current flow controlling device CFCD when drivinga constant current Iwko during the wake up charging process. In FIG.18A, Vadwk is a constant DC output voltage of the power supply duringthe wake up charging process. In order to ensure the flow of the wake upcurrent Iwko, the value of the Vadwk voltage is set to be slightlyhigher (0.2˜0.4V normally) than the maximum battery voltage during thewake up mode charging (the wake up battery voltage threshold, Vvkth),i.e. Vadwk=Vwkth+(0.2˜0.4 V). The amount of instantaneous powerdissipation Pwk on the current flow controlling device CFCD when thebattery voltage is at an instantaneous value Vbatt is given by thefollowing equation:Pwk=Iwko*(Vadwk−Vbatt)   (1)

FIG. 18B is a plot illustrating the power dissipation Pwk on the currentflow controlling device CFCD versus the battery voltage Vbatt accordingto equation (1). It can be easily seen that the maximum powerdissipation occurs at the lowest battery voltage and virtually that maybe 0V. When calculating the power dissipation limited maximum wake upcurrent level Iwkmp, the worst case of Vbatt=0 should be taken intoconsideration and the corresponding power dissipation should be equaledto the maximum allowable dissipation of the current flow controllingdevice, Pm. Therefore, in equation (1), if let Pm replace Pwk, Iwkmpreplace Iwko and let Vbatt=0, then the value of the power dissipationlimited maximum wake up current Iwkmp may be obtained as:Iwkmp=Pm/Vadwk   (2)

In many cases, the power dissipation induced limit Iwkmp imposed to themaximum settable constant wake up current Iwko, is much more severe thanthe battery type related limit, that is, Iwkmp, as given by equation(2), is much lower than Iwkmb. For example, for a current flowcontrolling device having Pm=1.2 W and a constant DC power source outputvoltage of Vadwk=10V (which may be a reasonable value for a series 3cell Lilon battery package), Iwkmp, as given by equation (2), would be120 mA, while for the same battery the maximum allowable battery limitedwake up current might be 300-400 mA.

However, setting the constant wake up current Iwko to its powerdissipation limited value (120 mA in the above example) will degrade thecircuit performance by resulting in a long wake up charging time.Meanwhile, again referring to the equation (2), to increase the Iwkmplimit level up the Iwkmb level would imply the use of a current flowcontrolling device having a rated power dissipation several timeshigher. Such a high power device is not cost effective and thecorresponding high power dissipation lowers the wake up chargingefficiency. Therefore there is a need in the art for an improved methodand associated circuits able to maintain a reduced wake up charging timeand a relatively low power current flow controlling device, at the sametime.

FIG. 19A and FIG. 19B illustrate the principle of the method ofcontrolling a wake up current, as proposed by the present invention.FIG. 19A is a plot illustrating a variable wake up current Iwk versusthe instantaneous battery voltage Vbatt. FIG. 19B is a plot illustratingthe power dissipation on a current flow controlling device Pwk versusthe same battery voltage Vbatt. In the new method according to thepresent invention the constant wake up current Iwko is replaced with abattery voltage dependent wake up current Iwk, as shown in equation (3):Iwk=Iwkmin+K*Vbatt   (3)

The wake up current Iwk has a minimum value for the lowest batteryvoltage (Iwkmin if the lowest battery voltage is assumed to be 0V) andis linearly increased by a constant factor K as the battery voltageVbatt increases when battery voltages is lower than Vbatt1 (anassociated battery voltage when the wake up current reaches the batterylimited maximum wake up current Iwkmb), as depicted in FIG. 19A. Thepower dissipated on the current flow controlling device is now expressedby:Pwk=(Ivwmin+K*Vbatt)(Vadwk−Vbatt)   (4),which is the equivalent of equation (1) where the constant wake upcurrent Iwko has been replaced with the variable wake up current ofequation (3).

As resulting from a simple examination, the mathematical dependence ofthe power dissipation Pwk versus the battery voltage Vbatt in therelation (4) is parabolic, as represented, for battery voltages lowerthan Vbatt1, in FIG. 19B. Pwk has a maximum value Pwk max at acorresponding battery voltage Vpmax, both depending on the values chosenfor the minimum wake up current Iwkmin and the for the constant factorK.

The charging method of the present invention imposes two conditions tothe wake up current and power dissipation curves depicted in FIG. 19Aand FIG. 19B. The first condition is to keep the power dissipation Pwkon the current flow controlling device bellow the device's maximum ratedvalue Pm for all the battery voltages during wake up charging process.It simply comes to the condition Pwkmax≦Pm. The second condition is tohave a wake up current higher than the one imposed by the powerdissipation in the constant wake up current approach (i.e. Iwk>Iwkmp)for most of the battery wake up voltage range, since a high wake upcurrent advantageously reduces the wake up charging time. Particularly,a multitude of associated Iwkmin, K pair values may be found byelementary mathematical means in order to concurrently satisfy the abovementioned two conditions.

Returning to the above given example of the wake up charging from a DCpower source having an constant output voltage of Vadwk=10V with a wakeup current driven through a current flow controlling device rated atPm=1.2 W, if Iwkmin is set at 80 mA and the value of the factor K is setat K=30 mA/V and further assuming the battery wake up voltage thresholdat Vwkth=9.6 V, according to equations (3) and (4) the wake up currentwill increase linearly from 80 mA to 368 mA when the battery chargesfrom 0 to 9.6V and, respectively, the power dissipation will have a 1.2peak value at Vbatt≈3.7 V. Meanwhile the wake up current will have avalue above the Iwkmp=120 mA limit obtained in the constant wake upcurrent approach from the moment the battery voltage reaches the valueVbatt=1.33 V. Compared with the method using a constant wake up currentIwko set at the power dissipation limited value Iwkmp=120 mA during thewhole wake up charging process, the new method according to the presentinvention provides a variable wake up current which is above 120 mA foralmost the whole battery wake up voltage range, which in turnadvantageously reduces the wake up charging time.

As an additional feature, the new wake up charging method according tothe present invention may contain the step of limiting the wake upcurrent at a settable value (for example the battery type limited wakeup current level Iwkmb), whenever the wake up current level as resultedfrom equation (3) exceeds the settable value. This case is alsoillustrated in the FIGS. 19A and 19B, where is assumed to occur forbattery voltages exceeding Vbatt1.

The present invention provides yet another embodiment of a variable wakeup level (WL) circuit configured to provide an output signalrepresentative of a variable charging current to be delivered to abattery, in accordance with the above described new wake up chargingmethod. FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a variable wakeup level WL circuit 2000, according to the present invention.

The WL circuit 2000 includes a summing circuit 2001 and a comparisoncircuit 2002. As those skilled in the art will easily recognize, theoperational amplifier AMP 2004 together with the resistors R1 2006, R22008, R3 2012, R4 2014 and Rs 2010, connected as drawn in FIG. 20, mayoperate as the summing circuit 2001. It is also readily appreciated bythose skilled in the art that the output voltage Viwk of the summingcircuit 2001 is a linear combination of the two voltages Viwkmin andVbatt which are applied through the resistors R1 and R2 respectively tothe non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier 2004,acting as a summing node. The output voltage of the summing circuit 2001may then have the form:Viwk=a*Viwkmin+b*Vbatt   (5)If we make the notations: p=(R3+R4)/R4 and Rp=1/(1/R1+1/R2+1/Rs), thenthe equation (5) may be rewritten as:Viwk=(p*Rp/R1)*Viwkmin+(p*Rp/R2)*Vbatt   (6)and it becomes apparent that the coefficients in equation (5) namelya=(p*Rp)/R1 and b=(p*Rp)/R2, are exclusively dependent on the valueschosen for the resistors R1, R2, R3, R4 and Rs. Furthermore the resistorvalues may be chosen such as a=1 and b=K*r, where r is a settable ratioof a representative voltage to the corresponding represented current andK is the constant factor in equation (3). In this case if Viwkmin is arepresentative voltage of the minimum wake up current Iwkmin in equation(3) the output voltage of the summing circuit 2001 Viwk will berepresentative of the variable wake up current level Iwk as expressed bythe same equation (3). The signal Viwkmin may be provided externally tothe WL circuit (as shown in FIG. 20) or may be internally generated andset by conventional circuitry within the WL circuit at an appropriatelevel.

Still referring to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 20, the comparisoncircuit 2002 may include a comparator COMP 2016, a switch drivingcircuit SDC 2018 and two switches SW1 2020 and SW2 2022. The comparator2016 compares the signal Viwk provided by the summing circuit 2001 witha settable constant level signal Viwkm, representative of a maximum wakeup current Iwkm and delivers a digital output signal ‘compout’. Themaximum wake up current Iwkm may result from any limitation other thanthe power dissipation on the current flow controlling device, forexample it might be equal to the battery limited maximum wake up currentIwkmb as previously described. The switch driving circuit 2018 isresponsive to the digital output signal ‘compout’ of the comparator 2016by keeping the switch SW1 closed and the switch SW2 open when Viwk islower than Viwkm and by keeping the switch SW1 open and the switch SW2closed when Viwk is higher than Viwkm. Accordingly, the output signal ofthe variable wake up level 2000 ‘wk-up prog’ will have either the Viwkor the Viwkm level, whichever is lower.

It should be noted that the switches SW1 and SW2 in FIG. 20 may beimplemented by any appropriately chosen variety of transistors,including bipolar or field effect transistors. It is readily appreciatedby those skilled in the art that the switch driving circuit 2018 may beeasily realized, for example, by any appropriate combination of logicgates and lever shifters, as long as it implements the above describedfunction.

The present invention further provides an embodiment of a variable wakeup current circuit (VWUC) able to at least control the wake up chargingcurrent delivered to a battery according to the previously described newmethod. FIG. 21 illustrates an exemplary embodiment 3000 of a variablecurrent wake-up circuit according to the present invention. Thisvariable wake-up current circuit may be inserted in a power managementtopology similar to the one in FIG. 17. For clarity, out of the elementscontained in FIG. 17 only the elements functionally connected to thevariable wake-up current circuit have been depicted.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 21, the variable wake-up currentcircuit 2100 includes a variable wake up level WL circuit 2000, an erroramplifier 1610 and an output decision circuit 1612 (also known as adriving circuit). The WL circuit 2000 has the structure andfunctionality as previously described in the present invention. Itdelivers a variable ‘wk-up prog’ signal, representative of a variablewake up charging current to be provided to the battery Batt. A throughthe switch SW2A1 acting as a current flow controlling device. Thevoltage level of the ‘wk-up prog’ signal increases linearly with thebattery voltage Vbatt by a constant factor whose value is fully settableby the choose of the values of the resistors R1, R2, R3, R4, Rs withinthe WL circuit 2000. The voltage level of the ‘wk-up prog’ has a minimumvalue Viwkmin (also settable within the circuit 2000) for a 0V batteryvoltage and is limited to a maximum value set by the Viwkm signal,which, in the described embodiment, is provided through the hostinterface 13. The signal ‘wk-up prog’ is further provided to thenon-inverting input of the error amplifier 1610. The inverting input ofthe error amplifier 1610 receives from a current sense amplifier (notshown in FIG. 21) a signal ICDA representative of the instantaneouscharging current delivered to the battery Batt. A. The operation modesof both the error amplifier 1610 and output decision circuit 1612 may beidentical to the ones described for the wake up circuit 1608 in FIG. 17and for clarity and simplicity reasons the operation will not be furtherdetailed.

It should be noted that the above described method or the circuitsembodied the method can be used independently of or in conjunction withother battery charging methods or circuits, and/or as a part of abroader battery charging method or circuits.

It will be appreciated that the functionality described for theembodiments of the circuits that may also be implemented using software,or a combination of hardware and software. If implemented in software, aprocessor and machine-readable medium may be required. The processor canbe any type of processor capable of providing the speed andfunctionality required by the embodiments of the invention. For example,the processor could be a process from the Pentium® family of processorsmade by Intel Corporation, or the family of processors made by Motorola.Machine-readable media include any media capable of storing instructionsadapted to be executed by a processor. Some examples of such mediainclude, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM), random-accessmemory (RAM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM(EPROM), electronically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), dynamic RAM(DRAM), magnetic disk (e.g. floppy disk and hard drive), optical disk(e.g. CD-ROM), and any other device that can store digital information.In one embodiment, the instructions may be stored on the medium in acompressed and/or encrypted format.

The terms and expressions which have been employed herein are used asterms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention,in the use of such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalentsof the features shown and described (or portions thereof), and it isrecognized that various modifications are possible within the scope ofthe claims. Other modifications, variations, and alternatives are alsopossible. Accordingly, the claims are intended to cover all suchequivalent.

1. A variable wake up level circuit for providing a wake up signalrepresentative of a charging current to be delivered to a battery, saidvariable wake up level circuit comprising: a signal processing circuitreceiving a first settable voltage representative of a minimum wake upcurrent and a third signal representative of a battery voltage, whereinsaid signal processing circuit adapted to produce a first output signalwith a voltage level dependent on the voltage levels of said firstsettable voltage and said third signal; and a comparison circuit adaptedto receive said first output signal and a second settable voltagerepresentative of a maximum allowable wake up current and to producesaid wake up signal, wherein said wake up signal having a voltage with alower voltage level selected between said first output signal and saidsecond settable voltage.
 2. The circuit of claim 1, wherein said signalprocessing circuit being capable of setting said first output signalequal to said first settable voltage when said third signal is at asettable minimum voltage of said battery, and capable of enabling saidfirst output signal to increase linearly by a settable factor with saidthird signal.
 3. The circuit of claim 2, wherein said signal processingcircuit comprising a summing-type circuit, said summing-type circuitcomprising at least an operational amplifier and a plurality ofresistors, the value of said settable factor being set by the choice ofthe values of said plurality of resistors.
 4. The circuit of claim 3,wherein said summing-type circuit comprising: a first input terminalreceiving said first settable voltage; a second input terminal receivingsaid third signal; a summation output terminal outputting said firstoutput signal; an operational amplifier having an inverting terminal, anon-inverting terminal and an amplifier output terminal, wherein saidsummation output terminal being coupled to said amplifier outputterminal; a first resistor coupled between said first input terminal andsaid non-inverting terminal; a second resistor coupled between saidsecond input terminal and said non-inverting terminal; a third resistorcoupled between said inverting terminal and said summation outputterminal; a fourth resistor coupled between said inverting terminal andthe ground; and a fifth resistor coupled between said non-invertingterminal and the ground.
 5. The circuit of claim 1, wherein saidcomparison circuit further comprising: a comparator adapted to receivesaid first output signal at a first input terminal and said secondsettable voltage at a second input terminal and to produce a comparisonoutput signal in response to the difference between said first outputsignal and said second settable voltage; a switch driving circuitresponsive to said comparison output signal by generating a firstcommand signal and a second command signal; a first switch coupled tosaid first input terminal of said comparator and to the output of saidcomparison circuit, said first switch responsive to said first commandsignal; and a second switch coupled to said second input terminal ofsaid comparator and to the output of said comparison circuit, saidsecond switch responsive to said second command signal.
 6. The circuitof claim 5, wherein said first and second switch having an ON state andan OFF state, said first switch being in ON state and said second switchbeing in OFF state when the voltage level of said first output signal islower than said second settable voltage, said first switch being in OFFstate and said second switch being in ON state when the voltage level ofsaid first output signal is higher than said second settable voltage. 7.The circuit of claim 1, further comprising a reference voltage circuit,wherein said first settable voltage being provided to said signalprocessing circuit by said voltage reference circuit.
 8. A variable wakeup current circuit for at least setting and controlling a wake upcurrent delivered to a battery via a current flow controlling deviceconnected in series with a battery charging path, said variable wake upcurrent circuit comprising: a variable wake up level circuit, whereinsaid variable wake up level circuit being responsive to a first signalrepresentative of an instantaneous voltage of said battery, a firstsettable voltage representative of a minimum wake up current of saidbattery and a second settable voltage representative of a maximumallowable wake up current of said battery, said variable wake up levelcircuit generating a wake up signal representative of said wake upcurrent for charging said battery, wherein said wake up signal having avoltage level dependent at least on the voltage levels of said firstsettable voltage and said first signal; an error amplifier receivingsaid wake up signal and a battery current sense signal representative ofan instantaneous charging current of said battery, wherein saidinstantaneous charging current flowing through said current flowcontrolling device, and said error amplifier generating an error signalin response to a difference between said wake up signal and said batterycurrent sense signal; and a driving circuit adapted to output a devicedriving signal in response to at least said error signal, wherein saiddevice driving signal capable of commanding said current flowcontrolling device to maintain said instantaneous charging current at alevel based on said wake up signal.
 9. The circuit of claim 8, whereinsaid variable wake up level circuit further comprising: a signalprocessing circuit receiving said first signal and said first settablevoltage, wherein said signal processing circuit adapted to produce afirst output signal with a voltage level dependent on the voltage levelsof said first signal and said first settable voltage; and a comparisoncircuit adapted to receive said first output signal and said secondsettable voltage and to produce said wake up signal, wherein said wakeup signal having a voltage with a lower voltage level selected betweensaid first output signal and said second settable voltage.
 10. Thecircuit of claim 9, wherein said signal processing circuit being capableof setting said first output signal equal to said first settable voltagewhen said first signal is at a settable minimum voltage of said battery,and capable of enabling said first output signal to increase linearly bya settable factor with said first signal.
 11. The circuit of claim 10,wherein said signal processing circuit comprising a summing-typecircuit, said summing-type circuit comprising at least an operationalamplifier and a plurality of resistors, the value of said settablefactor being set by the choice of the values of said plurality ofresistors.
 12. The circuit of claim 11, wherein said summing-typecircuit comprising: a first input terminal receiving said first settablevoltage; a second input terminal receiving said third signal; asummation output terminal outputting said first output signal; anoperational amplifier having an inverting terminal, a non-invertingterminal and an amplifier output terminal, wherein said summation outputterminal being coupled to said amplifier output terminal; a firstresistor coupled between said first input terminal and saidnon-inverting terminal; a second resistor coupled between said secondinput terminal and said non-inverting terminal; a third resistor coupledbetween said inverting terminal and said summation output terminal; afourth resistor coupled between said inverting terminal and the ground;and a fifth resistor coupled between said non-inverting terminal and theground.
 13. The circuit of claim 9, wherein said comparison circuitfurther comprises: a comparator adapted to receive said first outputsignal at a first input terminal and said second settable voltage at asecond input terminal and to produce a comparison output signal inresponse to a difference between said first output signal and saidsecond settable voltage; a switch driving circuit responsive to saidcomparison output signal by generating a first command signal and asecond command signal; a first switch coupled to said first inputterminal of said comparator and to the output of said comparisoncircuit, said first switch responsive to said first command signal; anda second switch coupled to said second input terminal of said comparatorand to the output of said comparison circuit, said second switchresponsive to said second command signal.
 14. The circuit of claim 13,wherein said first and second switch having an ON state and an OFFstate, said first switch being in ON state and said second switch beingin OFF state when the voltage level of said first output signal is lowerthan said second settable voltage, said first switch being in OFF stateand said second switch being in ON state when the voltage level of saidfirst output signal is higher than said second settable voltage.
 15. Thecircuit of claim 8, wherein said variable wake up level circuit furthercomprising a reference voltage circuit, said first settable voltagebeing provided to said signal processing circuit by said voltagereference circuit.
 16. A battery charging apparatus for charging arechargeable battery, comprising: a current path toward the rechargeablebattery; a current flow controlling device coupled in series with saidcurrent path, wherein said current flowing controlling device beingadapted to control a charging current delivered to said battery; and avariable wake up current circuit, wherein said variable wake up currentcircuit being adapted to provide a device driving signal to said currentflow controlling device in response to at least a first signalrepresentative of an instantaneous voltage of said battery, a firstsettable voltage representative of a minimum value of a wake up chargingcurrent of said battery, a second settable voltage representative of amaximum allowable wake up charging current of said battery, and abattery current sense signal representative of the instantaneouscharging current of said battery, wherein said current flow controllingdevice being adapted to receive said device driving signal on a commandterminal and to maintain said charging current at a level dependent onthe voltage level of said device driving signal.
 17. The batterycharging apparatus of claim 16, wherein said current flow controllingdevice having a rated maximum allowable power dissipation, said variablewake up circuit being further adapted to maintain the level of saiddevice driving signal to ensure the power dissipation on said currentflow controlling device to be lower than said rated maximum allowablepower dissipation for any battery voltage within a specified range. 18.The battery charging apparatus of claim 16, wherein said variable wakeup current circuit further comprising: a variable wake up level circuit,wherein said variable wake up level circuit receiving said first signal,said first settable voltage and said second settable voltage, saidvariable wake up level circuit generating a wake up signalrepresentative of said wake up current for charging said battery,wherein said wake up signal having a voltage level dependent at least onthe voltage levels of said first settable voltage and said first signal;an error amplifier receiving said wake up signal and said batterycurrent sense signal, wherein said error amplifier generating an errorsignal in response to a difference between said wake up signal and saidbattery current sense signal; and a driving circuit adapted to outputsaid device driving signal in response to at least said error signal,wherein said device driving signal capable of commanding said currentflow controlling device to maintain said instantaneous charging currentat a level based on said wake up signal.
 19. The battery chargingapparatus of claim 18, wherein said variable wake up level circuitcomprising: a signal processing circuit receiving said first signal andsaid first settable voltage, wherein said signal processing circuitadapted to produce a first output signal with a voltage level dependenton the voltage levels of said first signal and said first settablevoltage; and a comparison circuit adapted to receive said first outputsignal and said second settable voltage and to produce said wake upsignal, wherein said wake up signal having a voltage with a lowervoltage level selected between said first output signal and said secondsettable voltage.
 20. The battery charging apparatus of claim 19,wherein said signal processing circuit being capable of setting saidfirst output signal equal to said first settable voltage when said firstsignal is at a settable minimum voltage of said battery, and capable ofenabling said first output signal to increase linearly by a settablefactor with said first signal.
 21. The battery charging apparatus ofclaim 19, wherein said signal processing circuit comprising asumming-type circuit, said summing-type circuit comprising at least anoperational amplifier and a plurality of resistors, the value of saidsettable factor being set by the choice of the values of said pluralityof resistors.
 22. The battery charging apparatus of claim 21, whereinsaid summing-type circuit comprising: a first input terminal receivingsaid first settable voltage; a second input terminal receiving saidthird signal; a summation output terminal outputting said first outputsignal; an operational amplifier having an inverting terminal, anon-inverting terminal and an amplifier output terminal, wherein saidsummation output terminal being coupled to said amplifier outputterminal; a first resistor coupled between said first input terminal andsaid non-inverting terminal; a second resistor coupled between saidsecond input terminal and said non-inverting terminal; a third resistorcoupled between said inverting terminal and said summation outputterminal; a fourth resistor coupled between said inverting terminal andthe ground; and a fifth resistor coupled between said non-invertingterminal and the ground.
 23. The battery charging apparatus of claim 19,wherein said comparison circuit further comprises: a comparator adaptedto receive said first output signal at a first input terminal and saidsecond settable voltage at a second input terminal and to produce acomparison output signal in response to the difference between saidfirst output signal and said second settable voltage; a switch drivingcircuit responsive to said comparison output signal by generating afirst command signal and a second command signal; a first switch coupledto said first input terminal of said comparator and to the output ofsaid comparison circuit, said first switch responsive to said firstcommand signal; and a second switch coupled to said second inputterminal of said comparator and to the output of said comparisoncircuit, said second switch responsive to said second command signal.24. The battery charging apparatus of claim 23, wherein said first andsecond switch having an ON state and an OFF state, said first switchbeing in ON state and said second switch being in OFF state when thevoltage level of said first output signal is lower than said secondsettable voltage, said first switch being in OFF state and said secondswitch being in ON state when the voltage level of said first outputsignal is higher than said second settable voltage.
 25. The batterycharging apparatus of claim 18, wherein said variable wake up levelcircuit further comprising a reference voltage circuit, said firstsettable voltage being provided to said signal processing circuit bysaid voltage reference circuit.
 26. The battery charging apparatus ofclaim 16, wherein said current flow controlling device comprising abipolar or a field effect transistor.